The Business Battleground

September 3, 2010Angela (Oh She Glows)

by Angela (Oh She Glows) on September 3, 2010

Happy Long Weekend!

I kicked off the long weekend with something I haven’t had in a long time…cheesy savoury oats. These are one of my all-time favourite quick, healthy, and easy meals. For some reason my stomach has been nauseous all day long and this is the only thing I felt like for dinner. Weird I know, but these oats comfort me!

For dessert I broke into my Vosges Creole Expresso bar all the way from Chicago!

I like my chocolate intense, deep, dark, slightly bitter, smooth, and creamy. This was no exception. After two squares I was done like dinner.

I also did some much needed speed organizing tonight. If you are anything like me, a cluttered space equals a cluttered mind.

An organized space equals free-flowing creativity and a decrease in stress!

BEFORE:

That is a small business battleground right there. It has pretty much been like this for months.

The beautiful and zen-inspiring AFTER (in just 20 mins)!

I sorted through all my papers, cleared off unnecessary papers on my bulletin board, and I put a new organizer to use with pens (that I can never find!) mail, and pending orders:

I also spent a while putting Gmail’s new Priority Inbox to good use and I organized ALL of my emails. Is anyone else using the Priority Inbox yet? It is awesome.

Can you believe I had 27,000+ non-archived emails in my inbox? Horrifying, I know. I archived all but 5 of them. I also created a couple new labels- 1) Green Monster submissions (I’m almost caught up!), and 2) Recipe spottings. Then, I deleted about 15 labels that I was no longer using. This made for a very short and quick drop down menu.

I feel like a new woman. A great way to start the weekend. :)

What is your computer space like right now? Cluttered, organized, Type-A, messy, chaotic, like a page out of MarthaStewart magazine? Do you have any plans to change your work space or decorate?

I have more goals for decorating and organizing my space down the road. First, I need a better storage system. Right now I just dump everything into one tiny plastic file (that is busting at the seams) or the deep-set cabinets. It is a bit chaotic. I also want to make my space look more feminine as it is a bit masculine. I could use some frills, polka-dots, ribbon trim, and flower prints right about now.

Right now, this is the only girly touch I have at my desk- A ‘Believe’ sign from Dollarstore. Some moments, during times of chaos, I glance up at that sign and it gives me hope.

My computer space is currently my lap =( We just moved (a few months ago *ahem*) and are currently in the process of redecorating. Once I get a legitimate workspace set up, I’d love to try and keep it organized!

I am definitely Type-A when it comes to my desk. Each morning at work, I organize it and clean it with Lysol (okay, maybe I’m a little OCD too). I also add girly touches like photos and greeting cards. You could also buy some cute fabric to cover your bulletin board.

Coming from a fellow business owner…the work space is so important, isn’t it!

Just yesterday I was reading an article from a woman who build up her business is her top two tips were: to create a space that your thrive in and to always remember purpose: why are you doing this, what are you hoping to cultivate in your heart, mind and soul.

I thought that was so wonderful! Speaks to me just as your believe sign!

I had a feeling you would love Vosges chocolate ;) That kind sounds amazing though it would be trouble for me to have espresso at night, I would be wired for hours! Although since you wanted to go on a heavy duting organizing spree maybe the espresso did the trick!

Great combo of flavors! My desk is fairly organized but we don’t do a lot of non-computer things at work, honestly. I *do* have four cups/mugs scattered around. All clean, but I use them for different things (water, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, etc) and like to have options. ;)

Oh I totally believe that a cluttered desk is a cluttered mind! The top of my desk is clear right now though my drawers are full of all sorts of junk that I don’t know what to do with! During my undergraduate I used a kitchen table as my desk ( with cute Ikea boxes underneath for storage) and it worked perfectly because I had to keep everything organized!

clutter completely de-centres (un-centres!?) me! i love clean, minimalist work areas.
i just finished cleaning our condo – yea, great friday eve entertainment, but now i’m set for a clutter-free weekend!
good work on your work space! i love the before and after shots!

Oh my gosh I can’t believe how many emails you had! I just went through mine about a week ago, and had about 2500. I thought that was a lot, but nothing compared to you! Good job getting everything organized!

I don’t have a computer area yet… It’s currently a pile of junk that needs to be sorted through… And my laptop resides in our living room ontop of a tv tray. Classy! That’s how we roll down here in Texas. ;)

Nice job on your desk! Ever since I started at University, I have been much more organized with my space than I ever was at home — maybe because I have less of it now, and no one to clean up after me : ) Having said that, I really do need to get my things really organized when I get back from this weekend, since I do tend to study better, write better, and focus better when my laptop space is clear. Thanks for reminding me!

I definitely know what you mean about having a clean desk…Less clutter = better for me. My desk has a computer, pen/pencil holder, lamp, picture frames, and some books. Because I’m a college student my desk is in my room, so I definitely try to keep it clutter free because otherwise it makes the whole room look like a mess.

I don’t have a computer space at home, but my desk in work can get pretty cluttered! People leave stuff on it when I’m at meetings, argh. I organise everything into order of priority everyday. I noticed the new Priority inbox feature the other day, I’m hoping to get it set up over the weekend.
Loving those savoury oats! I also find oats the perfect food if I’m feeling icky.

I am currently in the process of decluttering my living space. It feels so liberating to declutter and free up space. The energy just moves more freely when it is not inhibited by clutter. Nice job decluttering today!

Nice job on your office clean-up. I SO wish they had priority inbox for Outlook — would make my “real” job soooooo much easier! Our home workspace is pretty fun . . . we used a Design Sponge tutorial to make a really long desk out of an old door. Gives us a lot of space to stow papers and other materials. But I’d like to jazz it up with some more decorative touches. <3

Love the Natalie Dee poster :) When I left my grad program early (best decision of my life!) I joked about getting that Tshirt to wear to final meeting with my advisors. But it turns out sometimes being a quitter is the greatest thing in the world – so much happier now!

Reminds me of another quote from a Swedish chick lit book I read… “He who flees from something has merely gotten lost on his way home.” :)

Those cheesey savory oats sound delicious, not to mention look amazing. I love all the toppings. Super easy and completely healthy nachos going on there! Yum.

Well done with the desk cleaning and organizing. I need a lot of help with my gmail inbox. It’s loaded with tons of unread emails or starred, important ones. Checking out that Priority Inbox thing right now. :)

Angela! I wish I had your desk! You did an great job. I also am going to get into that Priority Box for gmail, do you love it? Are you serious…27,000 emails! Unreal. :) Is Eric clean too, it sure helps when the hubby’s are too. :)
I also have a recipe spotting for you. I don’t know if you got it (from a comment a while back)but it is on my website, would you like me to send it to you? If you type “fries” you will see my recipe for Carrots, Parsnips and Sweet Potatoes w/ pb fries. It all started from the “explosion” of those parnsip fries that you started! lol.
What a killer dinner…I have-got to try the savory oats soon. That also is one of my fav dark chocolates, I think they are starting to carry that at T Joes. Sorry you don’t have a T Joes.:( I will send you anything you need, as I live walking distance to 2 of them. Then you can send me a Wunder Bar! Happy Day!

I wanted to say that my desk is nice & clean but then I glanced around and realized I would be lying! haha. I haven’t even put my dSLR away and it’s bag is right underneath the desk! I’m gonna clean it up right now though, thanks for the reminder. haha

hiya Angela! I am not naturally organized, but I’ve learned that the more organized I am, the more productive and happy I feel. It looks like we were on the same page yesterday, I spent the afternoon overhauling our office. I’m starting full time school on Tuesday, it’s been a decade so I need all the help I can get!

I have an idea for a simple DIY that will add a feminine touch to an office. I took a corkboard and covered it with a lovely printed fabric, easy peasy. You can add some pretty ribbon or splurge on some pretty push pins to take it a step further. I also love to coordinate colours with office accessories. Our office is a pumpkin orange colour, I found some lovely green & brown magazine & storage boxes that add some interest, and a cozy brown rug really warms it up!

I would never think to make ‘nachos’ out of oats!
My instinct would be to think oats should be paired with something sweet but those avocados are so tempting I think I’ll give that a shot. Avocados couldn’t probably convince me to to do anything.

There are few things in the world that delight me more than a nice organized desk so I like to keep mine in tip-top shape. I am that way with my kitchen too :). Something about smooth, clean, empty desk/counter space makes me feel happy inside. Like a canvas waiting to be painted on.

This is probably a stupid question but I am not an oats person so I have no idea what “regular” oats are. Is it steel cut or rolled oats? I would love to make these so I am interested to see what oats I should use. I usually don’t eat them because I’m not big on sweet meals so this sounds and looks perfect!

Those cheesey savory oats sound delicious, not to mention look amazing. I love all the toppings. Super easy and completely healthy nachos going on there! Yum.

Well done with the desk cleaning and organizing. I need a lot of help with my gmail inbox. It’s loaded with tons of unread emails or starred, important ones. Checking out that Priority Inbox thing right now. :)